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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23650192">when i can give you everything you've ever wanted instead of take</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/gautier/pseuds/gautier'>gautier</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A3! (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Canon, happy birthday chikage!!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:14:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,514</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23650192</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/gautier/pseuds/gautier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p></p><blockquote>
  <p> "I want to get married," Chikage says, cutting him off instead of ever giving him the answer, in the same irritating intonation he'd use to... talk about the weather, or the news, or something. Itaru almost loses it to the background chatter of NPC villagers on his screen.  </p>
</blockquote> <br/>Chikage finds a way to get called unromantic in the middle of a proposal.
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chigasaki Itaru/Utsuki Chikage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>135</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>when i can give you everything you've ever wanted instead of take</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is self indulgent and 99% projection. enjoy. happy birthday chikageeeee pls give me ur ssr<br/>UPDATE: i have gotten my first copy of bday chikage v2 after over 2k dia. thank you</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Itaru wakes up unceremoniously to the beeping of his alarm clock and the discomfort of a lonely bed, both screaming at him in harmony to get out of bed a cool hour before work instead of the four minutes he usually takes. His eyes don’t immediately snap shut after staring at his ceiling for a moment, instinctively counting the kernels from where he vaguely remembers he was last night as he was trying to fall asleep, and Itaru takes that as his cue to roll over, groan into his pillow, and begrudgingly start the day.</p><p> </p><p>He hears the click of the stove turning off as a response and he lets out a more dramaticized moan as he pushes himself to sit up, knowing that while Chikage acts like he’s pissed off indulging Itaru, he’s undoubtedly a gross and sappy (still utterly unromantic,) person at heart.</p><p> </p><p>“Rise and shine, sleepyhead,” Chikage hums across the room, and Itaru can only see one blue sleeve from where his eye peeks open behind his bedhead. “Breakfast is served.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good morning,” Itaru mumbles out, and takes his Switch from under his pillow over to the table, watching intently as Chikage sets down two bowls and retreats back to the pantry to grab a small packet of… something. He watches the flakes fall into Chikage’s bowl, and internally flinches at how red his bowl looks compared to his.</p><p> </p><p>“Want some?” Chikage says, mainly because he’s an asshole, and partly because he’s <em> very </em> vocal about how funny it is to him how easily Itaru gets riled up. Itaru raises his arms into an X, leaving his spoon to fend for itself in the bowl and his Switch to rest facedown on the table.</p><p> </p><p>“No thanks, I feel like taking care of my body today.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s rich, coming from you,” Chikage mumbles around his spoon, very obviously purposefully loud enough for Itaru to hear. He pretends not to smile when Itaru bumps him with his shoulder, and shoots a pointed glare at the three empty Monster cans sitting on their nightstand. Itaru glares right back at the spice packets sitting on the table, conveniently flipped to the side that details the company's legal defenses in the case of injury or reaction, and raises an eyebrow at him. Chikage just shrugs and rips open another packet, smirking at Itaru with a look that says ‘<em> Haha, loser, </em>’.</p><p> </p><p>“I hate you,” Itaru says, verbally this time, because it’s a little discomforting how easily they fall into non-verbal communication. It makes him feel read. He clicks open his Switch and relishes in the sound as he tabs over to one of his newer downloads, and watches Chikage out of the corner of his eye as the game boots up. He’s staring.</p><p> </p><p>“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,”</p><p> </p><p>Chikage is suddenly not staring, and he looks away dramatically like he was caught red-handed. Itaru feels guilt run heavy through his chest, and he bumps their shoulders together again as the screen zooms into hyper realistic greenery.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, I was just joking.” The music fades in slowly, a concerta of melodramatic buzz, and Itaru lowers the volume. And, he adds, just because he can, (and just because he wants Chikage to know): “I love you.”</p><p> </p><p>Chikage gives him that same smile that tells Itaru he’s being truthfully vulnerable, and he rests his chin on his fist. “Love you too,” He says, making a point of not looking at Itaru. His eyes are hooked on the way the spoon twirls through his bowl.  “Just thinking.”</p><p> </p><p>Itaru hums in acknowledgement before they lapse back into silence, deciding it’s not the time to pry and instead turning his focus to getting his dailies done before they have to leave for work. His player character sprints around the campground, adorned in some rustic-style armor and round glasses because, well, what’s the point of playing a game with a customizable MC if you aren’t incredibly self-indulgent with it?</p><p> </p><p>Chikage’s chair sliding against the floor takes him out of his stupor, and he nervously squints at the clock on the oven.</p><p> </p><p>“Senpai, what time is it?” Itaru whistles, looking back down at his inventory instead of trying to make out the blurred LEDs. Only one fish so far, and the damn shop owner wants him to catch three more before his shitty starter fishing rod runs out of durability. Scam.</p><p> </p><p>Chikage doesn’t offer him a response, clanking his utensils together in the sink and turning on the water instead. Itaru squints at the clock again before giving up, and he sighs loud enough for Chikage to hear him. If Itaru is late to work it’s Chikage’s burden to cover anyway, not that he particularly cares about punctuality. His joycons vibrate and he spams his finger against the A button. Fish number two. Chikage still hasn’t told him the time. He spares a glance at his ingame clock for some semblance of an answer, before realizing it’s <em> definitely </em> not December 14th and <em> definitely </em>not 3:09PM. He looks out the window on the opposite side of their apartment, comparing it to the snow that falls to the ground ingame, and he laughs.</p><p> </p><p>"I want to get married," Chikage says, cutting him off instead of ever giving him the answer, in the same irritating intonation he'd use to... talk about the weather, or the news, or something. Itaru almost loses it to the background chatter of NPC villagers on his screen. That doesn’t sound like the time.<br/><br/>"You... what?" He answers dumbly, because Chikage is still casually washing the dishes like he hadn't just dropped a bomb and pretended it didn’t happen. Maybe he misheard, or maybe ‘married’ is some weird Chikausa slang for ‘getting the fuck to work’, and he’s going to make fun of Itaru for being stupid and getting worked up.<br/><br/>The faucet turns off with Itaru's voice, and he watches as Chikage wipes his hands on the mini towel, taking his god damned time because he's an asshole, and he pushes his sleeves down before he turns around. His expression is completely unreadable.<br/><br/>"I want to get married."</p><p> </p><p>The third fish that tugs on Itaru’s player’s line gets lucky after a few seconds of inactivity, shadow disappearing under the water. Itaru can’t help the way he freezes.</p><p> </p><p>“Um,” Itaru says, because he is suddenly incapable of rational thought and significantly more incapable of even thinking about verbalizing it. He bites his tongue to hold back a nervous laugh, clicking his game to the save screen and making eye contact with his pitiful reflection against the black. He doesn’t know what to say. “Like?”</p><p> </p><p>“Like...?” Chikage parrots back at him, and Itaru feels a little (a lot) bit like he’s done something wrong again. His character waves at him through a progressively smaller hole as his console turns off. He’s staring at nothing. Itaru’s hands are sweaty.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you serious?” He talks into his fingers as they drum against his Switch, nails digging into the plastic a little too hard. It’s a little bit of a deflection, because Chikage doesn’t really, has never really justー <em> said </em>things without a reason, but...</p><p> </p><p>“Why… wouldn’t I be?” Chikage sounds uncharacteristically stressed, and this is the exact moment in which the auto-save icon pops up in the corner of his mind alongside the<em> AFFECTION DOWN </em> jingle. Fuck. Go back, go backー</p><p> </p><p>It’s not like this is completely uncharted territory;they’ve talked about something <em> like </em>this before,  but never in the way that adds the sense of urgency that Itaru is feeling right now. It’s always been one of those hypothetical things, playfully added while walking home in busy streets or laughing at suggestions from friends, but this is…</p><p> </p><p>(Itaru knows what he wants to say from the beginning. He’s known, probably, for the past few years and maybe even for the whole time they’ve been in this mess together that they would end up here <em> one day </em> , but <em> one day </em> is very different than <em> today </em>, and Itaru is nothing if not insecure at his core.)</p><p> </p><p>(Chikage is insecure too, he knows, and Itaru feels almost selfish for having an internal debate after they’ve gotten this far along with expressing their wants.)</p><p> </p><p>“Now?” Itaru squeaks, and it’s a pathetic sound. It sounds like he’s unsure, when he <em> knows </em>he’s not. When it’s less that he’s unsure and more that he’s in shock that maybe he’s finally getting everything he’s ever wanted for the second time ever.</p><p> </p><p>“Right here,” Chikage says, still stiff and facing the window. It almost sounds like it’s supposed to be a joke, but it comes out more like he’s just adding another brick to the wall that Itaru can start to see building itself up around him.</p><p> </p><p>“Right here.” Itaru breathes back, and the tension in the room is rock solid in his hand. He breathes in shakily, takes one look at it, one quick glance at every anxiety he’s ever felt, disregards every option he’s ever known as safe, and he crushes it.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, okay.” Itaru says, and suddenly he can breathe again. “Let’s.”</p><p> </p><p>And because that doesn’t seem to knock Chikage out of whatever trance he’s in, dead set on glaring holes into their poor, innocent silverware, Itaru repeats himself. “Let’s get married.”</p><p> </p><p>When the realization dawns on Chikage’s face, it’s nothing like those shoujo manga Itaru obsessed over near the end of high school. But Itaru isn’t a poet, or an artist, and he’s gotten about 100% of his interpersonal relationship knowledge from video games, so perhaps he just lacks the skill to describe the way he can practically <em> see </em> Chikage’s mind racing a mile a minute. It makes <em> him </em> feel powerful, even when in reality he was the one to be caught off guard first, but the high of that doesn’t seem to last for very long.</p><p> </p><p>Chikage is making his way back to the table again, all (faux) confidence and a pointed stare that makes Itaru feel like he’s being completely seen through, and it makes him shrink into his seat and twiddle his fingers just a little more violently. (The way that time seems to be slowing around him makes the twelve step journey to the table from the sink seem much longer than the five seconds he calculated it being during last year’s water Guild Wars.)</p><p> </p><p>“Um,” He says for the nth time today when Chikage stops in front of him, staring blankly like he had just entered a room only to forget what he was doing. Itaru gives a little wave instead of acting like a normal human being. “Hi.”</p><p> </p><p>Itaru doesn’t flinch away when Chikage’s hand comes to rest under his chin, thumb massaging circles into his jaw. He leans into it for a moment, letting his mind go blank for the half a second before his brain kicks back into gear and he leans back and glares at Chikage.</p><p> </p><p>“Nuhuh. You totally aren’t going to seduce me to forget what just happened.”</p><p> </p><p>Chikage gives a fake pout, tilting his head to the side.</p><p> </p><p>“And yet I was so close.”</p><p> </p><p>“Seriously, Chikage, NG. I’m giving you the chance to have the first word here, so don’t waste it.”</p><p> </p><p>It goes quiet again, significantly less tension this time, and Itaru can practically hear the cogs in Chikage’s brain working overtime.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure?” Chikage asks, whispering like it’s some sort of secret, and Itaru knows him well enough that he can read the list of followup questions that come along with it. He nods.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah?” Itaru says, and it comes out sounding too much like another uncertainty. “I mean, like, you seriously caught me off guard, but it’s not like I was never expecting this to happen?”</p><p> </p><p>Chikage quirks his eyebrows at that.</p><p> </p><p>“Stop, don’t look at me like that. It’s embarrassing. I just mean, it’s always been me and you, you know? I think you’re stuck with me no matter what at this point.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve never been stuck with you, you know that?” It’s still a little quiet, and rough around the edges, but it hovers in place in the air over Itaru’s head. “I chose you, from the start. It’s always…”</p><p> </p><p>And Itaru doesn’t know what he’ll do if Chikage finishes that sentence, really, so he just reaches for his wrist and clings.</p><p> </p><p>“Well I chose you too, then. You know, I would’ve been a lot more pissy if somebody besides you moved in way back then.”</p><p> </p><p>Chikage rolls his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“You only say that because you knew I’d stay out of your way.”</p><p> </p><p>And Itaru rolls his eyes right back, because he’s never heard something more untrue.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, because I expected the Senpai who corners me during <em> my </em> lunch break to beg for <em> my </em> help to just <em> leave me alone </em> outside of work.”</p><p> </p><p>“It was important.”</p><p> </p><p>“I know, but what I’m saying, is that… If you’ve always chosen me from the start, then I’ve always chosen you. And I’m…”</p><p> </p><p>“<em> I’m choosing you again. </em>” Is what Itaru wants to say, but Chikage is suddenly way too close and his hand is way too warm where it rests on his thigh. His fingers tremble around Chikage’s wrist.</p><p> </p><p>“Marry me,” Chikage says, breath hot against Itaru’s cheek, and Itaru takes his free hand up to run his fingers through Chikage’s hair.</p><p> </p><p>“I already said yes, didn’t I?” Itaru says, and it’s just teasing enough to get a glare out of Chikage. “God, if you’re gonna propose to somebody out of nowhere, at <em> least </em> listen for their answer.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.” Chikage laughs, but then his lips are on Itaru’s before he can protest. It’s gentle, and fleeting, and Chikage is leaning back on his feet with a smile before Itaru can even try to bring him in any closer.</p><p> </p><p>“So, we’re married now.” Itaru lets the words roll off his tongue. “You’re my husband.”</p><p> </p><p>“Not even a ceremony or anything?” Chikage’s thumb is still rubbing circles into Itaru’s thigh. “I thought you’d want to celebrate with the troupe at least.”</p><p> </p><p>It’s another thing Itaru’s gotten good at over the years, knowing when Chikage is trying to imply that <em> he </em>wants something.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, ok. Wedding with the troupe.” Itaru can’t blame himself for not being able to think. “Um, like, were you serious about <em> now </em>? ‘Cause, I can call Sakuya, and I’m sure he’d be available, but Iー”</p><p> </p><p>Chikage leans back in, putting more weight on his hand, and Itaru can barely breathe. “I think we could celebrate with just us, for now,” He punctuates it with a thumb over Itaru’s lip. “Don’t you think?”</p><p> </p><p>“Just us,” Itaru breathes out shakily, and he laughs internally at the fact that none of the words he’s said as a married man have been comprehensible. “Fuck you, I didn’t mean that you could seduce me <em> after </em>we talked.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm?” Chikage hums, and Itaru knows that if he still wore his glasses he’d be letting them slide down the bridge of his nose. “But I am?”</p><p> </p><p>Itaru doesn’t bother stroking his ego with a response.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>follow me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/badasstempIe">twitter</a> and talk about chikage with me</p></blockquote></div></div>
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